Spawn Of the Clown
by ziqwip
Summary: The Joker and Harley Quinn have their own little Jester. When the baby is born, their child is rightaway sent to the orphanage. Years later...Joker finds his little Jester again - fifthteen year old Jess Anderson.
1. Surprises

She paced back and forth in her room. Her blonde pigtails bobbing as she did. She kept biting her fingernails in anticipation, and her little babies, Bud and Lou, looked up at her with their furry heads bobbed to the side, wondering what their mother was worried about.

"Oh…oh no…" she mumbled. "I-I'm late…I-I can't be late…oh God…"

She heard someone knocking at the front door and she dashed quickly out her bedroom. She was relieved when she opened the door to see a red head in green leggings and a tight, leafy torso. "Oh Red, thank God it's you!" Harley breathed as she pulled Ivy inside.

"Here you go Harls…" Ivy sighed as she handed Harley a pink box. "I can't believe it - what is this, the third time?"

"Oh Red, I'm absolutely for SURE this time!" she confidently said. She bounced off into her and her boyfriend's bedroom, Ivy following behind her.

Ivy felt chills as she entered the bedroom. Joker's face was nearly covering every inch of the walls, with black kisses on his posters, obviously from Harley. "Have you told 'you-know-who' yet?" she asked as she grimaced at the Joker doll sitting on Harley's side of the bed.

"No. I don't want to tell him until I really know that I'm…well - y'know…" Harley frantically opened up the pink box and carefully read the instructions. "Oh Gee Red…what if I really do have a bun in the oven? What will Mistah J say? What will he do?"

Ivy shushed her and comfortingly patted her on the back. "It's ok Harls. If he does decide to throw a tantrum, you know where to find me…"

"I feel as if this is my entire fault! I can't believe I forgot to refill! What idiot forgets to refill? ME, that's who!" she pouted as she held the pink, cardboard box near her bosom and tensely trembling. "I'm such a ditz Red…a big, blonde, ditz!"

"You aren't a ditz. Remember Harls, it takes _two _to tango!" She patted her back and shoved Harley towards the bathroom. "Now, come on girl, let's get this mess over with! I have to get back home soon to water my petunias!"

"You're right! Come on Harls!" Harley took a deep breath and bravely marched to her bathroom. "You can do this - don't be so s-scared…" She closed the bathroom door behind her and pulled out the pregnancy test from the box.

**_Thirty minutes later_**…

Ivy sat on Harley and Joker's bed, but then she remembered - that was _their_ bed. "Oh God…" She stood back on her feet and dusted herself off as she mumbled, "What were you thinking Ivy? You don't know what sick things they do on that filthy mattress…"

She looked up at clock on the wall. "Harley!" she shouted at the bathroom door. "It's been half an hour, what are you doing in there?"

No answer. "Harley…?" She was about to knock on the door, but stopped when the door slowly opened with a slight _creeeakkk_. "Harley…?"

Harley stood in the doorway with vacant blue eyes and a pale face with no expression. Ivy looked behind Harley and saw the pregnancy test sitting on the bathroom counter, with a light blue plus sign.

Harley sniffled as she tried to gasp out, "I-I…I-I…"

"Oh Harls…" Ivy bafflingly mumbled.

"Positive…" She gasped. Harley filled with tears and embraced her friend. "I-I…I'm so happy..."

Ivy returned the hug, but she didn't look excited, she looked concerned. "Harley, I'm happy for you - I really am…but…that clown isn't going to be a good father! You know that, I know that, EVERYONE knows it!"

"Mistah J would be a GREAT Daddy!" Harley said. "Just look at Bud and Lou!" The sound of their names being called made their tails wag in content. "Mistah J has been a great Daddy to them!"

"They're different Harls. Those are hyenas. We're talking about a little human…created by you _and_ that demented clown! Which by the way, I'm not looking forward to…I can't imagine a little Joker running around wreaking havoc…"

"Oh, it sounds wonderful…" Harley dreamily sighed.

The thought made her so happy. A child, half of her and half of _him_…a little Joker Junior…perhaps a little Arlene…maybe both!

"Aren't you worried about _his_ reaction?" Ivy upsettingly asked.

"Well, yeah, kind of..." Harley timidly mumbled as she twirled one of her pigtails. "I know Mistah J won't be as happy and excited as I am…BUT – I know he'll be thrilled! H-he has to be! This little guy has half of him!" she gently rubbed her stomach and contently hummed "_My little baby…on the tree top…_"

"Harley…" Ivy interrupted. "Not only am I worried about J's reaction…but what about _EVERYONE'S _reaction? You're carrying the Joker's kid, which to most people is the spawn of the Devil…"

"My little angel isn't 'The spawn of the Devil!" she gasped. "Is my name Rosemary? Uh-NO! We'll just have to keep it a secret…and I'll have to be kept hidden…"

They both heard the front door open and slam shut, then footsteps coming their way. "He's here…" Ivy muttered.

Bud and Lou popped their heads out in excitement and cheerfully flapped their brown tails back and forth. "Daddy's home…" Harley muttered. Right on cue, the bedroom door flung open and the tall, eggshell white clown stood in the doorway. "Hi puddin'…"

The purple suit wearing man immediately eyed Ivy and a sarcastic smile plopped onto his face. "What is _it_ doing here…?" he hissed.

"Red is just, uh, keeping me company while you were out…puddin'…" Harley mumbled.

"I told you I wanted you kept _away_ ginger snatch…" he growled.

Ivy rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Trust me, I hate standing in this circus of a room, but I'm just here for Harley…"

"Harley, you have Bud and Lou to keep you company, why do you need Jungle Pits here?"

"…I-I needed her to bring something over…" Harley nervously stammered, looking away from him.

"Bring _what_ over?" he demanded with his green, slender brow arched.

Harley bit her lower lip and her eyes looked over at the bathroom. The Joker glanced at the bathroom and saw a white plastic stick on the bathroom counter. His lip twitched as he slowly ambled to the bathroom.

"W-what is this…?" he uncertainly chuckled as he looked down at the light, blue plus sign on the stick.

"It's one of your damn explosive cigars…" Ivy sarcastically barked. "What do you think moron? IT'S A PREGNANCY TEST!"

"PREGNANCY TEST?" he shouted in fury. He raced over to Harley shoved her down on bed, loudly roaring in her face, "YOU IDIOT! WHO HAVE YOU BEEN SCREWEING AROUND WITH, HUH?"

"I HAVEN'T BEEN SCREWING AROUND YOU JERK!" she shouted back. "THIS IS _YOUR_ KID!"

"YOU SAID YOU WERE ON THE PILL YOU LITTLE FLOOZY!

"I'M NOT A FLOOZY!" she shrieked. "AND I FORGOT TO REFILL! I'M SORRY!

"GET OFF HER YOU IDIOT!" Ivy shouted as she jolted the Joker off of Harley. "She's carrying your unborn child for heaven's sake!"

"You stupid, useless, little BRAT!" he snarled. "We're getting that little _mistake_ out of you! I'm not going to have TWO stupid kids running around here!"

"Don't call our angel stupid you jerk!" Harley shouted. "How can you say something you and I created _stupid_? This is a miracle puddin'! Think about it, a little person with your smile sitting on your lap, giggling and laughing while you both watch Charlie Chaplin!"

"And crying at four in the morning, craving attention," The Joker bellowed. "I already have you doing that; I don't need another little gremlin doing that."

She hoped towards him and looked up at him with big, blue, puppy eyes. "Oh Mistah J…don'cha want a little J.J?"

"Nope." He plainly said.

"…a little Arlene?"

"Nope."

She frowned. "…both?"

He grimaced at the thought and laughed, "_Hell_ no!" he snatched her by her wrist and pulled her out of the bedroom. "Come on Kiddo, we're getting that bug out of you!"

She pulled back and struggled out of his hold. "NO! NO! MISTAH J, I'M NOT GETTING RID OF HER - OR HIM!"

Ivy grabbed Harley by her arm and tried to wrench her away from the clown's strong hold. "Stop it J!" she shouted.

"Let go!" he yelled as they both had a tug-of-war with Harley. "She's coming with _me_!"

"No – she – isn't!" Ivy yelled back.

"OUCH!" Harley cried in pain as her arms were practically being ripped apart from her. "PREGNANT WOMAN BEING TORN APART HERE…!"

"Fine then…" Joker growled. He let go of Harley and she flew back at Ivy and the two tumbled to the ground. "Keep the little mistake - I'll be out…"

He walked towards the front door and Harley scrambled back up on her feet. "Puddin'…where you going?" she called as she chased after him.

"Out…"

"OUT WHERE?" she demanded as he stepped outside. "MISTAH J!"

He slithered into his car and drove off into the city without a word.

"Where is he going?" Ivy asked as she stepped outside with Harley.

"I…I don't know…" Harley mournfully muttered with a pout. "I hope he comes back…"

"Do you want me to stay until he does…or _if_ he does?"

Harley tried to hold her tears in as she woefully muttered, "No…I'll be fine, Red. Thanks for coming…"

Ivy hugged Harley. "It's ok Harls. If he doesn't show, you know where my hideout is…"

"Thanks Red…" she sniffled. "I can always count on you…"

**_Three hours later_**…

She relaxed on the bed, blankly staring up at the ceiling while Bud slept next to her on her right and Lou on her left. She listened to the clock tick…all the slow minutes passing by…

She rested a hand on her belly, gently stroking it. "It's ok…Daddy does love you. I'm sure of it…"

She rapidly sat up once she heard the front door open. Bud and Lou cackled in eagerness and lifted their necks up at the sound as well.

She heard the slow footsteps come by…each step going by in years. The bedroom door creaked open and Harley bit her lip in keenness.

The Joker walked in, no smile, nothing. He flung his purple suit on the coat hanger next to him and annoyingly sighed, "So, you absolutely _positive…_?"

Harley squealed once he spoke. "I am puddin'! Aren't I just _glowing_? Oh, I'm so excited! Can you believe it? You and me…PARENTS!"

He rolled his eyes as she gleefully clapped in joy. He undid his tie, until Harley ran up to him and hugged him, making him groan in annoyance. "Get off me!" he snarled as he shoved her away. "Don't think I'm all _happy_ about this stupid situation. I'm really not looking forward to all this…your stupid cravings…mood swings…and you'll be getting _fat – OH _God, I'm really not looking forward to that…"

She pouted, but then smiled again. He might've said he wasn't excited, but deep down she knew he was. "Oh puddin'…" she giggled. "Do you think it's a boy or girl?"

He thought about it for a moment. It'd be nice to have a boy…with his looks…hopefully not his mother's brains, maybe Harley's eyes though. How would it be like to a have _girl_ though? No, no…he didn't want to deal with _that_…

He gave an expression of disgust at the thought of a second girl living with him. So much nagging…so much talking…every day of his life…no, no, he definitely wanted a boy.

"Please a boy…" he muttered to himself. "Please oh PLEASE be a boy…"


	2. An heir to his throne

**9 months later**…

"Where has that diamond encrusted clown been?" The Riddler asked. "It's been _months _since we've seen that high spirited harlequin…"

Jonathon Crane, AKA Scarecrow, rested his book down on his lap and looked up at the pacing man before him. "You know…you're right Nigma."

"When aren't I?"

Crane rolled his eyes and looked over at Two-Face, who was lounging on the brown couch and watching TV. "Harvey, do you know where the clown's girlfriend is?"

"I don't know…" Two-Face grunted. "I'm just glad I don't have to listen to that squeaky voice…"

Crane scratched his chin and pondered about her sudden disappearance. "Perhaps the clown pushed her off a higher building…or maybe she finally came to her senses."

Poison Ivy entered the rec room and sat down on the couch with Two-Face. "Ivy, have you heard from Harley recently?" Riddler asked.

"No…" she sighed. "She's trying to keep low since she's pregnant."

"Pregnant?!" the three men simultaneously gasped.

Ivy looked at all of them in puzzlement. "I thought you guys knew?"

"No! J never told us about Harley being loaded!" Two-Face's bad side suddenly twitched. "Oh God…they're multiplying…"

"One was bad…two was chaos…now three?" Riddler mumbled.

"A true nightmare…" Crane grumbled in horror. "When did this disaster happen?"

"Quite long ago…" Ivy answered. "She should have that little devil out of her any day now…"

"ANY DAY NOW…? I'm not ready for this!" Two-Face shouted. "Why couldn't we all have a warning or something?"

"This isn't an upcoming storm Harvey, calm down!" Ivy retorted.

"This is _madness_!" Crane exclaimed as he stood up from his chair. "This city is full with maniacs and the head master of maniacs is that clown, and now he's going to have an heir to his throne! This chaotic war will never end!"

"At least the clown is prepared for when he's out of the picture!" Riddler added. "What about _us_? Even the Bat has someone following his every step – we have nobody in our shoes! When we're gone, we'll be forgotten and finished! My superior intellect deserves to be forever remembered, not that circus lunatic!"

"I actually am prepared…" Ivy plainly muttered as she stood up from the couch. "I'm tired of listening to you drama queens, I'll be in my cell."

Once she left, they all looked at each other, each one with worried faces – well except Harvey, it was hard to read his face…faces.

All their heads shot towards the doorway once they saw the horde of bickering, yelling inmates crowding in the cell halls.

"Joker! Joker!" one of the inmates cheered. "Hey boss – holy shit, is that Harley?"

"They're here!" Crane said.

The three ran into the crowd and peeked through the bars with the rest of the inmates, watching the guards bring a handcuffed Joker and gently assisting Harley Quinn, who had a big, pregnant belly.

"Hands off the merchandise…!" Harley said as she tried to struggle out of the guard's grasp. "Hey, be careful! Hands off the baby!"

"_MY_ baby!" Joker barked at the guard. "So you better be _extra _careful, _got it_?"

"Ivy was telling the truth…" Crane gasped. "Harley _is _pregnant!"

**One day later…**

During lunch hours, all the super criminals were crowding around the Joker, poking their noses at him and kept asking him questions about Harley and if everything was real or not.

"Joker, is she _really_ knocked up? Is this a joke?" Riddler demanded.

Joker smiled. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Figure it out, _RIDDLER_."

"It isn't joke Ed, she really is pregnant." Ivy answered. "I actually found out before Mr. Giggles."

"That's true…" Joker giggled. "Maybe while I was gone, you stuck one of your experimental plant seeds in her and this is just a human and plant mixture you're cooking up in her. Any moment now, my Harley will be giving birth to one of Pammie's hybrid experiments…"

Ivy slapped Joker across his face, but he just cackled once her hand collided into his cheek. "Any moment…any moment this whole asylum will be filled with little clown babies…" Crane muttered. "…laughing and laughing….and laughing…"

"I KNOW! ISN'T IT EXHILIARATING?" Joker joyfully cheered. "Y'know, at first I was pretty mad, but I've been thinking about it…I've always been pretty _mad_. A child won't do much to me! I admit this whole process has been a pain in the ass though…especially Harley. She's gotten so fat…and more annoying. She's constantly asking for weird meals…like chocolate pickles. At least it'll all be over soon. I can't wait to teach the little guy some stuff! Like how to properly aim a squirting acid flower…make a poison pie to smash in someone's face…the history of the whoopee cushion…"

"What do you mean _guy_? How do you know it won't be a girl?" Ivy retorted.

"Because I don't want a girl..."

"But-"

"BOY!" he shouted at her. "HARLEY IS GOING TO POP OUT A BOY AND THAT'S FINAL!"

"You can't just demand a boy!" she irritably proclaimed.

"I get what I want! And I want a boy!"

Out of the blue, an inmate came rushing into the cafeteria, panting and gasping for air. He rapidly dashed over to Joker's lunch table. "J-Joker…" he huffed, trying to catch his breath, "H-Harley…"

"What?" Joker hissed. "What is it? Does she want another chocolate pickle or something? Tell her to ask the guards, not me."

"N-no…" the inmate wearily answered. "I-I just came back all the way from t-the medical facility…a-and Harley…"

"WHAT?" he impatiently demanded. "HARLEY WHAT?"

"S-she had the baby…"

Everyone at the table gasped in shock, expect Joker who jumped on his feet in a heap of rage. "WHAT? HERE IN ARKHAM?" He furiously shouted.

"_HAD _the baby?" Ivy curiously asked. "When did she go into labor?"

"Hours ago…her water broke in the middle of the night…" the inmate said as he cooled down. "She kept pleading for Joker, but they didn't want him near her…"

"I can't be around my newborn child? This is exactly why I told Harley to hold the kid in until _TOMORROW_ when I bust us out of here!" He began to mumble curses under his breath as the inmate continued…

"I saw them immediately take the baby away though…"

"WHAT?" he blurted in rage. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY TOOK THE KID AWAY?"

"You're a super criminal Joker. They're not letting a deranged lunatic care for a child…" Riddler informed.

Joker seized the inmate and wrapped his hands around his throat as he shouted in his face, "Where did they take him? TELL ME BEFORE I BREAK YOU IN TWO!"

"They said they were taking her to an orphanage!" The inmate instantly said in a shaky voice. "That's all I know!"

"_HER?_" he spat. "What do you mean _her_?"

"Y-your baby…" he nervously stammered. "It-it was a girl…"


	3. To my little Jester

**15 years later…**

_Her head was down on the black vanity. Her light brown hair was thrown in every direction, a nest of sheer chaos. _

_She sobbed and sobbed then looked up into the oval shaped mirror in front of her...only to see…_

_A smiling clown._

"Jess…?" an irritated voice called. "Anderson!"

She flinched and woke up and saw the frustrated teacher looking down at her. The students snickered and giggled as the dreary girl yawned, "Yes Mrs. Davis?"

"I'm sorry if my lesson is putting you to sleep, but you must pay close attention if you want to pass tomorrow's test…"

"I wasn't asleep…" she said as she rubbed her tired eyes, "I was…just…" she looked down at her open text book that was covered in her drool, "…reading…" she glanced at a paragraph and read it aloud, "'Erwin Chargaff changed the thinking about DNA by analyzing the DNA of several different organisms…' Yep, good ole Chargaff…"

All the students snickered again as Mrs. Davis shook her head in disappointment. "Miss Anderson, if you really were paying attention, you'd know that you're actually two pages behind the rest of the class…" she turned the pages of Jess's text book and pointed at the paragraph they were currently reading. "Now Jess…I better not catch you sleeping again…"

"Yes Mrs. Davis…" Jess annoyingly sighed.

The teacher strolled back to her desk and looked into her Biology book. "Ok, Damian, could you please continue reading?"

"Yes Mrs. Davis…" Damian obeyed and read off his text book, "'Replication assures that every cell has a complete set of identical genetic information…"

Jess tuned the kid out as he kept reading and began to fidget with her pencil. She hated Biology, she never understood it, plus the class was downright mind-numbing. All they did in class was read…and read…and more reading. She thought there would be more lab activities, but nope…just constant, humdrum reading.

A little note suddenly plopped onto her desk. Jess took it and unfolded it under her desk so Mrs. Davis wouldn't see. The words scribbled in the note were:

_Stop sleeping in class Twinkle!_

Jess just giggled and wrote:

_I hate this class! And stop calling me Twinkle, Button! Haha!_

She gingerly tossed the note back to her friend, Sheena, whom she sometimes called "Button" for her little, button nose. The two girls had nicknames for each other, Twinkle and Button. Sheena called Jess "Twinkle" because of her sparkly, twinkly blue eyes.

They both hated their nicknames, but they only called each other that to irritate one another.

Jess looked over at Sheena, who was sticking her tongue at her in a playful gesture. Jess giggled and responded in the same way.

The bell at last rung and Jess flew right out of her desk and over to Sheena. "Thank God…I thought class would never end…" she said in relief.

"I know right!" Sheena agreed. "Let's get the hell out of here…I promised my mother I wouldn't come home late today."

"Same…"

As students left the classroom, one roughly bumped into Jess. "Watch it freak…" the girl crudely snickered as she walked out the door. She had a group of girls following and giggling along with her.

"One day…she's going to run into something sharp…I promise it…" Jess heatedly grumbled.

"Just ignore her Jess. Don't let her drive you crazy," Sheena said, "Come on, let's just go."

They left school grounds and walked together on the sidewalk, along with other fellow pupils at their school. Jess always felt relieved when school ended. It wasn't her favorite place, but the only thing she liked at school was lunch time, simply because her and Sheena just talked and joked around with each other with no teachers bothering and lecturing them.

Sheena was Jess's only friend. Best friends since sixth grade, and the two knew pretty much knew everything about each other.

Sheena knew Jess was supposed to be a sophomore, hated seafood, and that she feared clowns. The only thing Sheena didn't know about Jess was _why_ she despised clowns so much, whenever she asked, Jess answered with "I just freak out when I'm near them."

Jess knew that Sheena's natural hair color was actually blonde, not the cherry red she currently had. She knew Sheena dreadfully wanted snakebites ever since sixth grade, but her mother forbidden it. She knew that Sheena had a massive crush on the boy in their Biology class, Damian Wayne. Jess had to admit that Sheena had some good taste in boys. Damian was tall, dark, smart, and…not a bad looker at all.

"Was he staring at me during class…?" Sheena asked with a dreamy smile. "I think he was…I felt those lovely eyes on me…he totally digs me."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Totally…" she sarcastically mumbled. "He's practically glued to you, Button."

"Oh shut it, Twinkle." Sheena snorted as she elbowed her. "Was he though?"

She sighed and half-smiled. "Yep, he sure was…"

Sheena pursed her lips in curiosity. It was hard to figure out if Jess was being serious or not. "Come on Jess! Tell me the truth, was he or wasn't he?"

"Nope."

"Really…?" she pouted.

"Nope."

"Quit it Jess!"

She chuckled as Sheena shoved her to the side. "I'm just messing with you Sheena. I honestly wasn't paying attention to Damian – you know I always just tune him out."

"How could you keep such a cute face out of your mind?" Sheena asked as she dozed off into space with a happy grin. "He's absolutely perfect."

"He's ok. He seems like an absolute teacher's pet though."

Sheena ignored her and continued talking. "Do you think Sheena Wayne sounds ok?"

Jess pulled a face of repulsion and irritably groaned, "Oh God Sheena - really?"

"What? It's just a question!" she defended.

"You're such a dreamer…" she sighed. She stopped walking with Sheena as soon as they stepped in front of her house. "Bye Sheena, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Twinkle!" Sheena chuckled as she waved goodbye.

"Screw you Button!" she yelled.

Sheena stuck her tongue out, flipped her off and continued walking. Jess laughed and walked up to her creaky porch and knocked on her front door. On the third knock, her father, Dan Anderson, answered the door.

"Hi Dad," she greeted as she walked inside, "Has thee had a fine day?"

He smiled and chuckled. Whenever his daughter pretended to be in a Shakespearean play, he went along and had fun with it. "Alas…a woeful day has ridden me…" he exaggeratedly sighed.

"Sweet father, why must thee frown upon such lovely bright day?"

"Ol wench is over the hot steal, catering the hen still…"

"Excuse me?!" Jess's mother, Rebecca Anderson, yelled from the kitchen. "I'm not a wench! Plus, this dinner would be ready faster if someone HELPED ME!"

Jess and her father chuckled. "Sorry Mom!" she yelled. "I'll be there in a minute!"

She tossed her backpack on the couch and began to head for the kitchen until she heard her father say, "Mrs. Davis called me..."

She turned around on her heel and aggravatingly groaned, "What'd she say?"

"Apparently you fell asleep in class…for the fifth time?"

"Dad, if you were in my position I'm sure you'd do the same!" she proclaimed. "Blah, blah, blah…DNA…blah, blah, blah…bonds…blah, blah, and blah! I just turn off and go to sleep mode when such boring words enter my ears!"

"You better knock it off Jess. I better see that grade go up when your next report card is in the mail…" he warned. "Now come, let us hence forth to the dining room and help thy wench with supper."

"I got a happy dagger and I'm not afraid to use it!" Rebecca sternly stated. "And I just finished making dinner – no thanks to you guys…"

Jess and her father sat down at the table while her mother set the fresh, homemade food down. "Jess, a package came this morning, it's for you," her mother said as she dusted off her apron with her hands.

"…for me?" she asked in disbelief. "Really…?"

"Yep – maybe it's a secret admirer…" she teasingly poked at her. "Sooo…any cute boys eyeing you lately, sweetie…?"

She rolled her eyes. "No Mom. Guys don't like me."

"Of course guys like you Jess. Every guy likes a pretty brunette with blue eyes – they just don't have the guts to admit it."

"No. Every guy likes a girl like Betsy Owens."

"Who's Betsy Owens?" Dan asked as he stabbed his chicken with his fork.

She spun her fork in her little green peas. "A blonde who hates my guts – I bet she sent me that package. Probably sent me fish guts to irk me…"

"The box was sent by someone named Rojek…" Her mother informed. "Do you know a Rojek?"

"…Uh no…doesn't ring a bell…" She never heard a name like that before. "He sounds foreign…"

Once Jess finished her dinner with her parents, she was excused from the table. She immediately went to her room, where her mother left the mysterious package on her bed. It was just an average sized box, but it felt slightly heavy. She gently shook it to guess what could be hidden inside.

As she opened the lid, she was thankful she didn't smell anything fish related. She peered inside the box…and shrieked in sheer dread and abruptly tossed the box to the other side of her room and a loud, shattered crack echoed in the room as she did.

Her parents instantly heard her and the distressing noise and dashed to their daughter's room. They found Jess on the ground in a fetal position and uncontrollably sobbing.

"Jess…!" Rebecca ran to her and embraced her, calmly shushing her daughter. "What is it honey? What's the matter?"

"T-the box…" she cried.

Her father looked over at the other side of the room and saw the knocked over box…a colorful, fragile, clown mask broken in two lied next to it. A little card was on the mask reading:

_To my little Jester_

_-Rojek _

"It's alright sweetie…it's just a mask…" her mother hushed.

"Get it away! I hate clowns!" she cried.

"Dan, get that thing out of here!" she demanded.

Dan obeyed and rapidly picked up the shattered mask pieces and fled off with them. "I hate clowns…I hate clowns…" Jess kept sobbing. "I hate them, I hate them!"


	4. Joko the clown

"And you did…what?"

"I broke the mask…"

Sheena chuckled. "Don't you think you overreacted, Jess?"

It was Saturday, one of the most beloved days. No school, and if they were lucky, no homework either. Whenever they didn't have homework, they'd head off to a nearby fast food place and chat.

They ordered their usual: Two small fries and two large Dr. Peppers.

"Crane!" the man at the front counter shouted. "Two fries and two sodas!"

"That's us…" Sheena said. "I'll get it." She hopped over to the pick-up counter. "I'm Sheena Crane."

"Yep, I know." The man smiled as she handed over her order. "Tell Jess I said hi."

"Will do…" She took the tray and sat back down at her and Jess's booth. "Patrick says hi."

Jess looked back at the red headed guy and waved hello at him. "He's cute…"

"Yeah, he's alright. Anyways, I think you overreacted Jess, it was just a silly mask."

"Sheena, you know I hate clowns. When you see one of your worst fears staring right at you, I'm sure you'd flip out and try your best to get away from it too."

"I guess so…" she sighed. "But what if it was from some guy that liked you? It's sort of mean that you'd break your secret admirer's gift."

Jess rolled her eyes. "If it was from someone who liked me, why would they send me something I hate?"

"Well maybe they didn't know you hated clowns so much…it does sound kind of cute though. Receiving a mysterious gift from a mysterious man…" she began to twirl a strand of her red hair and smiled. "Damian is quite _mysterious_…"

Jess half smiled and chuckled. "Oh, is he? Maybe _he_ sent me it…"

Sheena's face fell and furrowed her brows in anger. "Hey hands off! He's _mine_!"

"I know…I know…" she chuckled as she stole one of Sheena's fries. "I'm just teasing you, Button."

Sheena stuck her tongue out and took of a sip of her Dr. Pepper. "Hey Twinkle…why do you hate clowns so much anyway?"

"I told you. I just freak out when I'm around a clown or anything clownish."

"But why? Do they just look creepy to you or something? Come on Twinkle, you could tell me…I'm your best friend! I've always been quite curious about this little fear of yours…"

"Well…" she uneasily began. "I guess I could tell you…" she tapped her finger on the table and carefully thought about the day…she first went to the circus. "It all started when…I was maybe…five…"

~**Jess's POV**

I was a very curious little girl. I kept running around, always finding my way out of my father's sight. Everything looked colorful to me. All the big, shiny balloons and the booths with big letters spelling "PRIZES" in huge, eye catching, yellow letters. Of course, being the little kid I was, I begged my dad for one of those HUMONGOUS teddy bears that was most likely in crap condition. He eventually did win me one, ten dollars later, and I think the bear fell apart within two days.

I was pretty excited and enthusiastic about the whole experience and I was rather energized because of all the soda and cotton candy I had.

The one thing that did catch my eye though was this…green haired clown. At first, I thought his white skin was natural, but I knew it _had_ to be make-up. He had the biggest, reddest grin I ever laid eyes on, and it wouldn't go away. When I looked at him, I couldn't keep my eyes off his appearance. His baggy, green, and purple pants flowed in the wind, along with his purple coat tails.

He saw me and his smile got bigger. He honked his red nose and beckoned me to come closer.

"Jess…Jess…?" my father was too busy buying snacks from the snack booth to notice I walked away.

I heard him calling me, but I wanted to go meet the clown. "C'mere kid…" the clown chuckled. "C'mere…"

I looked up at him…he was surprisingly tall – taller than my dad. "H-hi…" I timidly greeted.

He crouched down and looked me straight in the face with his piercing, green eyes. "Hello there…" he smiled. "What's your name?"

"Jess…" I answered. "Jess Anderson…"

"Jess Anderson, eh?" he chuckled. "My name is…uh – Joko."

I titled my head and pursed my lips. His name sounded odd to me. "Joko…?" I repeated.

"Yep…" he giggled. He honked his big, red noise and I laughed at the funny sound it made. "You like flowers, kid?"

I rapidly nodded my head and grew a big grin. "Yes!"

Out of the blue, he pulled out a bouquet of colorful daises from his big sleeve. "Ta-da!" he exaggeratedly cheered.

He handed me the bright flowers and I stuffed my nose into the petals. "Thank you Joko!"

"How would you like to come see my…_funhouse_?" he asked. "It's _really_ fun…"

"Uh…Daddy said I'm not allowed to go to places with strangers…"

His face fell into an annoyed frown. "Your _Daddy_…huh?" he spat.

I slowly nodded my head. "Yeah…Daddy is over there…" I pointed in the direction of the snack booth, where my father was looking confused and trying to find me in the crowd of people.

"Trust me, Daddy doesn't care…" he said.

"How do you know?"

"I just do." He snatched me by the wrist and tugged me away. "C'mon kid."

I dropped the flowers and tried to push away. "Let go of me! Joko, let go!" I cried.

He groaned in irritation and picked me up. "I don't have time for this, stop squirming kid!"

I frantically began to pound my fists against his chest as I yelled, "Daddy! Daddy!"

Joko carried me over his shoulder and ignored my pleading. "You're almost as annoying as your stupid mo-" His voice trailed off when somebody tapped on the back of his shoulder. He turned around growling, "WHAT?"

Joko was unexpectedly punched in the jaw by my father. He immediately let me go and dropped me on the ground, then lost his footing and tumbled backwards.

I rapidly scrambled up to my feet and ran over to my father. "Daddy! Daddy!" I desperately cried. "Joko tried to take me!"

He picked me up and I sobbed into his shoulder. "It's ok Jess, Daddy's here…" he calmly said. "I told you to stay by my side, didn't I?"

"I'm s-sorry…" I whimpered through tears. "I won't do it again. I promise…"

"Give her to me!" Joko snarled as he stood back up.

My father stepped back and held onto me tighter. "You better keep away from my daughter you sick creep…"

Everybody around us looked over at Joko and Dad, as if they were watching two wild animals ready to shred each other. "_Your _daughter…" Joko chuckled as if it were the funniest thing he ever said. "_Your_…daughter…"

I hid my face into Dad's shoulder and tried to block out the evil giggling of the clown. "Make him go away Daddy…" I sobbed. "Make Joko go away…"

"You better hand her over or I'll…"

I heard a clicking sound that interrupted Joko's threat. "Back to your cell …" A deep voice said.

"Oh God…" my father gasped.

I was going to look up to see whose deep voice that was, but my father held my head down. "Gordon, take him back to Arkham…" the voice continued. "Sir, I promise your daughter won't be harmed by him again…"

"Uh…uh, thank you…" Dad nervously replied. He was quiet for a couple of seconds then he immediately began to walk away. "Jess, were going home…"

"What about Joko, Daddy?" I asked.

"That clown isn't going to harm you…don't you worry Jess..."

**~Regular POV**

"Did you ever find out who that creep was?"

"No…all I know is…it was some guy dressed up and calling himself 'Joko'…" Jess looked at her watch and didn't realize how fast time was passing by. "Didn't you promise your mother you'd be home by five?"

"Oh crap! You're right!" Sheena gasped. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed her purse. "So see you on Monday, ok?" Jess nodded her head and waved goodbye.

Once Sheena left, Jess ate the last of her uneaten fries and decided to visit the graveyard. Whenever she had extra time on her hands, she'd go there to relax and let her mind roam free.

It was the only place where it was quiet and peaceful to her. She'd look down at the gravestones and just glimpse at the names. A lot of poor folks had very short lives.

She sat down on the grass and looked up at the dark, Gotham sky. She lay down on her back and watched the gloomy clouds drift by…and her eyelids slowly got heavy… she felt at ease.

"Mind if I sit here?" a voice behind her asked.

She opened her eyes and tilted her head back. A tall, tanned man stood behind her, wearing a long, chest nut trench coat and matching fedora. "Uh…sure…" she muttered.

The man sat down next to her and lit up a cigar. "Thanks kid…" he muttered as he inhaled and puffed on his cigar. "What's your name?"

"None of your business…" she mumbled, closing her eyes and trying to relax again.

"Well…nice to meet you, 'None of your business', can I call you None for short?"

She opened one eyelid and glanced at him. "Listen, I'm just trying to enjoy myself…can't you just go find somewhere else to sit?"

"You're not nice…" he said, pretending to sound hurt. "I think you might've hurt my feelings, girly."

"Fine, if you won't leave, I will…"

She got up and was about to leave until the man said, "Wait."

She turned around on her heel and grimaced at him. "What is it?"

"Come on back kid." he beckoned her over. "Sorry if I'm annoying you. I'm a nice guy, honest…"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't talk to strangers…."

He inhaled his cigar and grinned. "I ain't a stranger. The name's Jay…"

"Fine then…" She managed a smiled and sat back down again. "I'm Jess…"

"So, what's a girl like you hanging out in the graveyard? Aren't girls your age supposed to be out in the mall getting their nails done and all that girly shit?"

She chuckled. "Just relaxing. I could care less about getting my nails done. I'm not like most high school girls. Why are _you_ in the graveyard? Visiting someone you used to know?"

He looked around the gravestones and quietly chuckled. "You _could _say I knew some of these people…I bet I was around during their 'time' to go."

She arched her slender brow. "What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing…" he cackled. "How old are you kid?"

"Fifth teen…almost sixteen…"

"Oh really? Now when is that happening?"

"April 1st…" she sheepishly smiled. "I never liked the date of my birthday."

"I absolutely love April 1st…" he inhaled his cigar and sighed. "Although April 1st is pretty much every day for me…"

She looked down at her watch and sighed. "I didn't realize it was almost six…I have to be home pretty soon..."

"Alrighty kid…" he stood back up and puffed on his cigar again. "Hope we could talk again soon…"

She smiled. "I'm always here during the weekends…maybe we'll run into each other again."

"Maybe…" he grinned. "There's always a chance."

She walked off and waved goodbye. She liked Jay. He was a pretty decent guy.

That grin looked pretty familiar though.


	5. You never know

"Nope…seen it…boring…" She kept flicking through the channels. Nothing good appeared to be on. "Too dramatic…too stupid…"

She was lying on her back, her whole body covering the worn-out couch. She felt so lonely, so very isolated. She wondered when her "Mistah J" would be back.

Actually, she was thinking about _why _her Joker left so hastily. He left in such strange attire as well. Well, the clothes he dressed himself in weren't _abnormal_ – but they surely weren't _him_. She couldn't remember the last time "Mistah J" wore a plain, dull trench coat. He'd usually flaunt himself around in an exciting, purple suit… Oh how she loved her boyfriend in that suit. Purple was unquestionably his color.

She snuggled her little Joker doll closer to her chest. It was almost like the real thing – _almost_. She wished her babies were with her to keep her company. Her poor, poor babies…

"Oh, Bud…Lou…" She glimpsed over at their old, fuzzy beds. "Mommy misses you two…"

She jumped when the front door swung open. "Puddin'!" she cheered excitedly. She rushed over to him, ready to give him the biggest hug, until she took full notice of his face. "…Mistah J…d-did you get a…_tan_?"

"It's make-up, you twit," He shoved her out the way and made is in the bathroom. He flung his brown fedora on the bathroom counter and splattered cold water on his face, making the brown make-up drip down off his skin, revealing his true pasty color.

Harley slowly walked over to him, watching him wash off his painted face. "Mistah J…where did you head off to…?"

"I was _out_…" The Joker muttered, aggravated. "I was…off in meeting, okay?" He snatched a rag, drowned it in sink and attempted to wash off the brown dye in his messy hair.

"Oh…really?" she asked, surprised. "You really haven't gone out to a…_meeting_ in a while. What was it for?"

"_Stuff_. Stop asking me annoying questions, Harley!" He slipped out of his trench coat and shoved it in her arms. "Go hang up my coat, and, uh, feed the hyenas!"

Her eyes went wide and her face fell. "…uh…puddin'…" She looked over at Bud and Lou's beds and frowned. "…We…don't have…Bud and Lou…anymore, remember?"

"Oh…that's right…" he awkwardly muttered. "I, uh…it slipped my mind…" He went quiet for a while and stormed off. "I'll be in my study - don't bother me."

She flinched once he slammed his door closed. "O…k…puddin'…"

She went into their bedroom and hung up his trench coat in his closet, where all his favorite purple suits were hanging in an organized line. Everything looked thrown off with a normal, brown trench coat, so she stuffed it in the very corner where it was barely noticeable.

She wandered into the doorway and relaxed against the door frame. She was bored. Her boyfriend was too busy in his study, she didn't have Bud and Lou, and her friend Ivy was off in a jungle somewhere. In a situation like this, she'd probably go off with her old friend, Selina, AKA Catwoman, but Harley hasn't seen her in…_years_.

She decided to go relax in the _other room_. The room that was supposed to be her…_daughter's_…nursery. The place was clean, always dusted, and Harley made sure everything was in its proper place. It was her favorite room, she decorated it all herself, but with some help from her friend, Poison Ivy. Harley was rather proud of the décor. Almost everywhere you turned, there was a big smile staring at you, it all looked cheerful and fun. When you walked in, you couldn't help but smile with the décor.

She loved everything about the room. She adored her purple cradle, the little clown dolls sitting on the green shelves, and The Batman doll hammered into the wall with the red painted grin. Her favorite little part of the nursery though, was the clown mask she hung over the cradle.

She glanced up at the wall, where the clown mask was supposed to be. "Wait…where is it…?" she asked herself. "I-I hung right here right? I-It was here yesterday…wasn't it?"

She was positive that it was there the day before. That's where she always saw it for the past fifth teen years.

"Puddin'!" she called out. She dashed over to his study, frantically pounding her fist on his door. "MISTAH J! MISTAH J!"

"WHAT! WHAT IS IT!?" he barked as he swung open the door. "I told you not to bother me, Harley!"

"Puddin', have you seen the mask?"

"What mask?"

"T-the mask, puddin'!" She carefully thought as she continued. "I-I made a mask…for…" It was a difficult challenge to blur out the name she wanted to say, "…f-for…_Jester_…"

"_Ohhh_…" he murmured, nodding his head, "_That_ mask…"

"Yes, that mask!" she shouted, slightly frustrated. "The mask I spent _months_ making for her nursery! Have you seen it?"

He frowned, bothered by her yelling already. "I haven't seen it, Harley. Maybe you threw it out without knowing it."

"I wouldn't do that!" she shouted.

"Yes you would," he plainly replied.

"NO!"

"Yes."

"NO!'

He devilishly grinned. "No."

"YES!"

"Ah, so you _did_ throw it out? Now that we've figured that out - LEAVE ME ALONE." He slammed the door in her face, leaving her perplexed and played.

"Wait…what?" She pursed her lips out and angrily stomped her foot on the ground like an irritated child. "Damn it! He always does that!"

**Two days later…**

_Patrick is checking you out._

She arched her eyebrow in interest and scribbled in a reply in the note:

_No he isn't. Stop messing with me, Button._

She threw the note back at Sheena. Within in a minute, the note landed back at her desk, reading:

_I'm not lying, Twinkle! Just look behind you!_

Jess puckered her lips to the side and scrunched her nose. She looked in the front of the class, making sure her teacher, Mrs. Bone, wasn't facing her direction. She slyly turned her head to the side and saw Patrick staring at her. Once he saw Jess glance at him, he at once looked away and hid his face in his notebook.

Jess quickly faced forward of the classroom, her eyes bug-eyed in surprise. She turned to the left and saw Sheena giving her an "I-told-you-so" look. Jess rolled her eyes and shook her head in denial. She assumed Patrick was staring off into space and was accidently looking at her. A lot of people _do_ tend to do that.

"All right class, whatever you didn't finish today is your homework. As usual, I expect it all on the front desk right when class begins tomorrow…" The bell rang and students immediately jumped out of their seats. "Good bye class, see you tomorrow. Jess Anderson, could I see you for a minute?"

"Coming, Mrs. Bone…" Jess grabbed her binder and slowly walked over to her teacher's desk. "Yes, Ms. B?"

Mrs. Bone pulled her glasses off, folded her hands and looked up at Jess. "Were you and Sheena passing notes…_again_?"

Jess sheepishly smiled and awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Well…it was just some vital information that Bu – I mean Sheena, wanted to tell me."

"May I see this 'vital information', then?"

"Fine…" she sighed. She pulled the note out of her pocket and tossed it on Mrs. Bone's desk.

The teacher unfolded the note, smirking as she read it. "Well…I guess this is just innocent conversation…" she threw the note in the trash and grinned at Jess. "You may leave now."

Jess just gave the teacher a baffled look and turned around on her heel. She walked over to Sheena, who was waiting for her at the doorway. She stopped walking when she heard Mrs. Bone say, "Patrick was looking at you by the way…"

"HA!" Sheena snorted. "I TOLD you!"

"God damn it…" Jess grumbled.

**Hours later…**

"I think he's into you, Twinkle…" Sheena giggled. Right when Jess was going to blurt out something, a guy on bike whizzed past them, almost knocking Sheena over. "Hey, watch it!"

The guy on the back right away turned around. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention…" he apologized.

Sheena gasped in surprise when she saw it was actually Damian Wayne on the bike. "Oh – it's…uh, uh, fine…" she nervously stammered. She began to awkwardly chuckle while twirling some strands of her red hair in her fingers.

"It's ok, Damian," Jess informed. She nudged Sheena in her side, signaling her to stop acting like an idiot.

"Sorry for almost knocking you over, Sheena…"

Sheena's voice went high pitch from nervousness. "Oh – oh – it's all right. I'm still in one piece aren't I? Hehehe…"

"See you guys tomorrow. Bye…" He rode off in his bike and Sheena let out a sigh of relief.

"'_I'm still in one piece aren't I?_'" Jess teased in a high voice.

"He touched me. He actually touched me…" Sheena muttered, ignoring Jess's mocking.

"His _bike_ touched you." Jess corrected.

Sheena smiled and dreamily sighed. "And he touched the bike, which touched me – so technically, Damian Wayne touched me…"

"Want to know what else touched you?"

"What?"

Jess slapped Sheena upside the head. "My hand. Get out of your little fantasy for like two seconds, please?"

They continued walking home and Sheena shook Damian out of her mind. "Sorry, I forgot that we were talking about Patrick's fantasy about you."

"Patrick doesn't like me."

"Yes he does! I bet you he was the one who sent you that box!"

"I bet it was Betsy…" Jess muttered.

"Rojek is Betsy, huh? Hmm…maybe…but I'm more positive that it was Patrick."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Why would Patrick suddenly have interest in me?"

"Maybe he finally grew the guts to approach you."

"Or _maybe_ you're just looking too far into things. _Too_ far, Button."

"_Or _maybe you're too far to actually have a better look into things, _Twinkle_…" she retorted.

Jess ignored her and walked up to her house. "Bye Sheena, see you tomorrow."

"Don't be surprised when Patrick admits his love to you!" Sheena yelled as she kept walking.

Jess slightly chuckled and knocked on her front door. As usual, her father, Dan, answered and let her inside. "How was school, Jess?"

"Everything is sort of turning into a High School drama that you'd see on today's MTV. Other than that, it was…_meh_."

"Sounds wonderful," Dan sarcastically replied. "Can't wait to find out who's pregnant in tomorrow's episode."

"And who's having a secret affair with Mrs. Davis. All shall be revealed," Jess chuckled. "I'll be in my room. Call me when dinner is ready."

Her father nodded and Jess ran up the stairs. Once she entered her room, she plopped onto her mattress and unzipped her backpack, ready to begin her homework that was due the next day. She felt a bitter breeze suddenly enter her room.

She faced in the direction the breeze was coming from, and saw that her window was wide open. Resting right under her window was a brown box. She curiously walked over to the box, and saw a little note sitting on top of it.

She gingerly picked up the note and skimmed the following words:

_I heard you didn't exactly like my last gift. Sorry about that, didn't mean to scare my little Jester. This shouldn't be as scary as the other. It's supposed to be cute – well only HarleQ finds it cute. Maybe HarleQ and you have similar taste._

_-Rojek_

"God damn it…" she irritably mumbled to herself. "Who the hell is Rojek? And who's HarleQ?"

She opened the box, and saw a baby clown doll with a red and gold jester hat, with little gold balls on the sides. She hesitantly picked it up, but dangled it as if it were contaminated with a disease. The little thing kept smiling at her with a white, painted smirk, and it gave her chills.

"Is…this a _joke_?" she snarled. She violently slammed the doll back in the box. "Whoever is doing this…it isn't _funny_…"

She picked up the box and angrily stomped to her closet. She flung her closet door open and threw the box high up in the top shelf where nobody would see it. "Ugly little…_gremlin_…"

As she heatedly kept grumbling curses under her breath, a man outside her house was watching her through his binoculars, spying her out her window.

He was hiding in his car, and watched the furious teenager hide the present "Rojek" had sent her.

He disappointingly sighed and looked away. "Maybe _Jay_ could talk to her…"


	6. A date for Saturday night

Jess sat alone at a lunch table under a tree that provided some nice, dark shade. It was the spot where she'd sit whenever Sheena was absent from school. She hated it when her friend was gone, but Sheena supposedly got sick that day.

The reason why Jess hated being alone at school…was because of _her._

"Where's your girlfriend, Je_ssss_?" Betsy chuckled, hissing the last word like a snake.

"She's sick today…" Jess grumbled, not looking back at Betsy, "Beat it, will ya?"

Betsy snorted and sat down right across from Jess. "What's the matter, freak? Don't you like me? Aren't I prettier than your cherry head girlfriend?"

Betsy Owens always did this whenever Sheena was absent from school. When lunch time started, Jess was all alone in a lion pit with meat tied to her, and Betsy was the hungry lion ready to attack.

"Sheena isn't my girlfriend…" Jess growled, "You stupid little…"

"Stupid little what?" Betsy interrupted, "Come on, say it!"

Jess's hands were slowly forming into fists. She really wanted to punch that gross, mocking smirk off Betsy's face. "Go away…" she growled, "I don't need your shit, Betsy."

Jess closed her eyes, grinding her teeth, listening to Betsy's annoying laugh. "What are you going to do? Fight me?" Betsy teased, "I doubt it. You're so pathetic-"

"Leave her alone, Betsy," a voice barked, "Why are you always such a bitch to her anyways?"

Jess opened her eyes and saw that Patrick popped out of nowhere. Betsy scrunched her nose and crossed her arms. "She isn't going to do anything. She just sits there and takes it."

"Leave…or else I'm telling everyone about Daryl…"

"What? What do you….wait – you wouldn't!"

Patrick smirked and crossed his arms. "Try me…"

She huffed and stormed off. Patrick rolled his eyes then sat down with Jess. "What happen between her and Daryl?" she asked.

"Let's just say that Betsy will do anything to get her hands on test answers…" Patrick mumbled, "You know, Jess…you should really stand up for yourself. You can't have Betsy just walk all over you like that."

Jess looked away and sighed, "As long as I don't move…_it_ should just give up and walk off."

"She obviously doesn't…"

"I'm used to it. It's fine, Patrick. Anyways, thanks for, well, standing up for me and all."

"No problem, Jess," he smiled, "You know, you and I don't talk much…we should hang out some time, don't you think?"

"Well, I don't…" Patrick unexpectedly put his hand on top of hers and she blushed. She looked at him…and somehow got lost in his green eyes and she faintly grinned, "Yeah…sure, Patrick…"

He brushed his hand against her cheek and leaned in closer to her face. "How about I…pick you up at six on Saturday? Does that sound good?"

For some reason, it was almost as if his eyes were glowing right at her. She couldn't help but lean in closer as well. "I-uh…don't…" Her sentence was cut off when his lips touched hers.

He drew away and stared at her. "Don't what…? Come on, Jess, I know you want to go out…just say it."

Her eyes widened. "I…I…I'd love to go out on Saturday, Patrick," she slowly muttered.

"That's great, Jess…" he pecked her on the cheek and stood up, "See you later, cutie, and don't worry, I'll make sure Betsy won't bother you again."

As he walked away, Jess shook her head and touched her own lips with her fingers. "Did he kiss me?" she quietly asked herself, "I have a date this Saturday? Why did he kiss me? W-why…did I…?"

Jess felt so puzzled. She couldn't believe what just happened. She was never kissed before, she never imagined it to be so…controlling. It was almost as if she didn't have the control of her own words once his lips caressed against hers. She wanted to say no, but couldn't help but say yes. Well, now there was only one thing to worry about now…what will she wear on Saturday?

* * *

**Sorry that this is so short, folks. I honestly didn't really expect 20+ people to be following this story, haha. **

**I promise more for the next chapter :)**


	7. Never know who you're talking to

It was hard, it was tough, and at one point she thought she wouldn't even make it. She felt watched, humiliated, and isolated, but it was all over. A whole week at school by herself, all because of a pesky cold her friend had caught. It turned out Sheena was much more ill than she thought, so she got to miss an entire week of school, leaving Jess all by herself. Jess wasn't exactly alone though. Betsy Owens kept showing up once and awhile, but only to annoy her, and Patrick would sometimes keep her company, but whenever he was around, Jess would always feel a tiny bit awkward. She'd choke on words, and she kept thinking about that sudden kiss. It all replayed in her head, and she couldn't figure out if she enjoyed it, or just felt…_nothing_. Maybe it just astonished her since it was all out of the blue. The kiss probably didn't baffle her, just the element of surprise.

Now that the loneliest week ever at school was done with, the only thing Jess kept thinking about was her date. Today was the day and she felt tremendously nervous and worried. This was her very first date, and she wasn't even certain if she wanted to go. It would be rude of her to call and cancel, especially at last minute, plus she really couldn't think of a good excuse to call off the date. Patrick probably was really looking forward to all of it after all, and she really didn't want to upset the poor guy.

After all the thinking, she thought that maybe a nice relaxing rest at the graveyard would put her at ease. The place was empty, nothing but old gravestones or people in mourning. She didn't know why the graveyard was relaxing to her, but she just assumed it was because it was quiet and barely any other teenagers were there.

She was on her back, arms resting behind her head, and just gazed up in the dark, Gotham sky. The grass was dead as usual, and of course the grass gave her that irritating itch on her arms. The only thing she heard were birds chirping in the trees and a few people blubbering over a loved one. It was all depressing, but like always, she felt alone and calm when she closed her eyes.

"Hey, it's you again…" a voice chuckled, making her flinch and open her eyes.

Jess looked to her right and saw a tall man in a brown trench coat, setting himself down on the grass right next to her in with his long legs crisscrossed. He grinned at her, waiting for her to respond but got nothing. "Don't tell me you don't remember me…" he muttered with a frown.

"Oh, I remember you…" she muttered. "You're that guy from last week aren't you?"

"Mhm," he nodded, smiling now, "It's Jay, and you're Jess, right?"

"Yeah, that's me…" she said, slightly smirking. "So what brings you here today?"

"Just wanted to stop by to see if you'd be here again," _Jay_ leaned down and rested on his back, looking up into the sky with Jess. "Do your parents always let you out of the house by yourself like this?"

"My parents trust me…" she replied, looking back up into the sky, "They know I can protect myself."

"If I knew my daughter was out alone and talking to strangers, I'd be pretty worried."

"I thought you said you weren't a stranger."

"I am, but I'm not," he retorted. "I'm just saying…you never know who you're talking to." There was no reply, so he continued, "What's new with you, kid?"

"Nothing that's of your concern…" she muttered with her eyes shut, pretending as if he weren't even there.

She didn't mind Jay that much, but she hardly knew him. He seemed like a decent guy, but you couldn't trust anyone in Gotham. It could all be an act. He gave off the impression of a kind, polite guy, but in reality he was probably some creep trying to reel her in until there was an appropriate moment to kidnap her. He was right. You never knew who you're talking to…

"Aw, what's wrong, girly?" he frowned. "Last time we seemed to be getting along well."

"You seem nice, Jay, but I still don't feel comfortable with you," she said, not looking up at him. "To be honest, there's just something about you that sort of…irks me."

His face fell and he furrowed his brows. "Hm. Well that's…_upsetting_…"

She finally looked up at him and sighed, "Sorry, Jay. Didn't mean it like that – but like you said, you never know who you're talking to."

At least she listens to her father, he thought. "Smart kid," he grinned. "Y'know, back in my day, we _really_ had to be careful of who we were speaking to. Nowadays, you'll just get robbed. Sure that seems bad…but in my day…" he slowly raised one hand in the air, snapping his fingers as he said, "you'd be dead like _that_…"

"Was it really bad in your day?" she curiously asked.

"Oh _heck _yeah," he said with a big nod. "Things were ten times worse than they are now. Sure we have a few robbers every now and then, one or two rapes every month, a child kidnapped somewhere and later found dead in the woods a couple weeks later – but things were just _cuckoo _in the old days."

"Wow. Why was it so bad?"

"A certain little Bat…" he grimaced. "There was one freak in town, and then the herd came in. A man came along and thought, 'I think I'm going to run around this city in a costume and be plain crazy…' and then there were more people who decided to do the same thing. The one particular freak that started it all convinced himself he was a hero. He thought he could end what he started, so he'd fight the other crazies, thinking it would all end because of him, but he just didn't know he was just encouraging the rest to keep on going."

"Well what happened? Why did it all end?"

"Because the 'hero' got old and couldn't keep going!" he barked like a mad dog. His sudden burst of anger started to scare her. He continued to ramble on, his arms waving in the air as he furiously said, "Once he stopped, the others stopped. There was no point of continuing the gag since the main guy running the show decided to leave!"

"Well…is he still around…?" she asked hesitantly.

"I don't know…maybe. Probably hiding in the shadows like he always does…" he grumbled. "Everything is all…dull and boring now. This city used to be a wonderful playground of…madness and fun – but now it's all…" his voice trailed off and he sighed. "Forget it. It was all going to end sooner or later. Everything gets old and worn out eventually."

"Wow…you really look upset…" she said, noticing his big, unhappy frown.

"Oh, well…I was really into all of it, y'know…" he muttered. "You never knew what was going to happen. All the smiles – so much screaming. You would laugh – even if you didn't want to, you'd still laugh. Batman would try to stop you, thinking he was saving the day, but really he was just making it all so much more fun…"

"Wait – who's Batman?" she asked.

"He's the one who started it all. You never heard of him?"

"No. It doesn't really ring a bell…" she said, thinking real hard about anyone called "Batman".

"Wow. I thought they'd talk about him in school by now. Hm, oh well." He slowly looked at her, as if he were carefully thinking about something. "Does the name 'Joker' ring a bell?"

"Joker…?" she murmured faintly.

"Yeah. He was one of 'crazies'. Big grin, purple suit, white skin, green hair, incredibly handsome, does he ring a bell?"

She slowly sat up. She could feel her hands suddenly shaking in fear. "He sounds like a…_clown_…" she said with a gulp.

"Well, he sort of was…" he said as if it were obvious. "A very _attractive_ clown I might add."

_Clowns_…it made her tremble. Scary…eerie…smiling…_devils. _"Uh…I don't really like clowns…" she softly murmured. "I doubt I've heard of him…"

He frowned and rolled his eyes. Out of all things of her to be frightened of…_that_ had to be one of them.

She glanced down at her watch and she immediately got up on her feet, dusting off any dirt on her brown shorts. "I got to get going. I have a date with some guy in a couple of hours and I got to ready."

"A _date_?" he spat, standing up and following her out of the graveyard. "Aren't you too young for dates?"

"I'm in high school. Isn't it sort of the right time for me to be dating?"

"No, no, not at all!" he exclaimed. "Things could get of hand. Trust me, men are crazy – I should know. I'm a man, and I'm straight up loony!"

"Ha-ha," she sarcastically laughed.

"I'm serious, Jess. Who is the guy?"

"It's really none of your business, Jay. But since I have a feeling you're going to continue asking me, his name is Patrick. He's an ok guy. He's cute and nice, I'm sure everything will go well."

"I hate him already," he mumbled. "Wait, did you say Patrick?"

"Yes, his name is Patrick."

"Uh…last name?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I honestly don't talk to him that much. All I know is that he works at some fast food place." Once they made it out of the graveyard, she looked to the left then back at _Jay_. "Ok, I got to get going. See you around, Jay."

"Yeah, bye, Jess…" he mumbled, repeating the name "Patrick" in his head as he watched Jess walk away. "Patrick…Patrick…" he mumbled to himself. He put his hand up to his chin, tilted his head and kept on saying the name in his mind. This was going to bug him all day.


End file.
